Black Hawk County, Iowa, First to Accept 911 Texts

The 911 emergency call center in Waterloo, Iowa, is the first in the U.S. to accept text messages in place of phone calls during an emergency. Residents who are enrolled with i wireless, a T-Mobile affiliate, can make use of the service. Other area residents who aren't enrolled will receive a text response from 911 instructing them to call 911 instead. Black Hawk County officials are working with the other carriers in the region so that all residents are served by the program. Because text messages don't carry location information, users are prompted to enter their zip codes before being connected to the 911 text services. If they are in an area not served, they are instructed to call 911. In the future, Black Hawk County also expects to be able to receive picture and video messages as part of 911 emergency services.